In Eastern North Carolina, 27% of adults struggle to read at a very basic level. As we wrap up our inaugural MedCast series, Literacy Connections would like to thank our host, Sahil Hogarty for shining a light on the important topic of health literacy. This podcast featured nine local medical professionals from a cross-sector of practices.  Through their conversations, he was able to explore various perspectives that demonstrated barriers to good health outcomes and initiatives already at work to address these concerns. Literacy Connections will continue to work together with our medical community as we strive for better health outcomes.

Suneya Hogarty is a rheumatologist in private practice. She also happens to be Sahil’s Mom. Suneya recalls early in her career an encounter with a patient that left her feeling that she wasn’t a very good judge of a patient’s literacy level at that point in her career. In her work now as a rheumatologist, she does a lot of detective work to figure out what is going on with a patient. Listen as she shares examples of relatable metaphors in her exchanges with her patients to communicate and gain their trust, understanding, and ultimately their compliance as they work together to solve their health issues.

Dr. David Tayloe has been a pediatrician in Goldsboro since 1977. Through extensive research, which he discusses in this podcast, Dr. Tayloe has raised a consistent voice of concern about the fact that half of our children are not reading at grade level at the end of third grade. That number jumps to a staggering 82% when viewed through the lens of children in poverty. He draws a direct correlation to the education level of the parents. Join the conversation to learn about the multitude of ways Dr. Tayloe has rallied people and resources through the years to develop programs in Wayne County to turn the tide on this issue, and find your motivation to join the movement. “Change has to happen at the community level.” We all have a part to play.

Kelli Corbett, Lead Nurse Practitioner of WATCH, talks with Sahil about recidivism from a different perspective in today’s podcast. Join the conversation to see how WATCH, a free healthcare clinic, considers these repeat visits as teachable baby steps towards better health outcomes. There is no denying that getting to better health outcomes takes time and hard work similar to the process Literacy Connections experiences when teaching adults to read. Kelli envisions a future where community health workers and medical students partner with programs like Literacy Connections to work together to increase health literacy.

Nurse Practitioner, Brandon Godwin has a lot of experience working on “blue collar” jobs which has given him a deep understanding of the at-risk population he serves at WATCH. “I know how to explain things in a way they can understand.” Join Brandon and Sahil as they delve into Brandon’s boots-on-the-ground perspective of providing healthcare to the compliant but low-literate patient. Although we can all agree that there is no easy fix for the impact low literacy has on health outcomes, let’s explore one of Brandon’s recommendations of increasing cultural competence in the medical world and the role that would play in elevating the understanding and compliance of patients with low-literacy.

Social Worker, Crystal Lemmon, LSCWA has experience recognizing the signs of low health literacy, but often faces challenges overcoming misunderstandings, especially when it comes to mental health. As a social worker, she has more time to spend with patients, but she also recognizes that learning is not a priority when a person is in the hospital or in crisis. Join the conversation as Sahil and Crystal discuss how she identifies signs of low health literacy, tools she uses to help patients take better care of themselves, and teaches patients to become an advocate for themselves through education.

“In order for someone to take their prescription correctly, they are going to have to be able to read the label.” Kim Krentz, RPH, owner of an independent pharmacy says. In Sahil’s conversation with Kim, he discovers cycles with patient medication compliance that stem from a lack of understanding. Kim shares ways that independent pharmacies take a personal approach to providing solutions for successful prescription management, especially for individuals with low literacy.

Vice President of Clinical Operations, Howard Whitfield acknowledges that healthcare is a fast-paced business with a lot of patients and not a lot of providers to meet that need. Despite these challenges, Howard shares “Medicine is personal, and involving the patient in their care plan and setting goals together establishes a connection. It’s about relationships.” Join the conversation as Sahil talks with Mr. Whitfield about patient recidivism and how a hospital works to reduce that.

“Low literacy is one of the spokes in a wheel of problems in the medical community,” explains Terry Grant, MD.  Healthcare providers are facing huge challenges today, from lack of providers, to expensive medications, and patients not understanding their disease or following the instructions to treat it.  Join the conversation as Sahil unpacks some of these problems from the perspective of the front lines of the emergency department with Dr. Grant.

Nurse Jamie Stephens, RN, BSN ranks low health literacy in the top 2 challenges nurses like her face every day.  Doctors spend a few minutes with patients in the rush of busy medical offices and hospitals, leaving nurses to make sure that patients understand their diagnosis and treatment plan.  Join the conversation as Sahil and Jamie explore ways nurses cope with the responsibility of patient compliance when patients say “Yes, I understand” when they really mean “No, I don’t.”